Manohar opposes Shastri's inclusion in BCCI probe panel

There was a lot of drama at the BCCI's emergent working committee meeting in Mumbai on Sunday as an altercation between secretary Sanjay Patel and former president Shashank Manohar led to the former walking out of the meeting.

However, the Baroda man was persuaded by some of the other senior officials to come back and rejoin the proceedings.

The meeting, which was dominated by discussions about the formation of three member probe committee as per Supreme Court's directive saw former India all-rounder Ravi Shastri's name being vehemently opposed by the anti-Srinivasan faction led by Manohar.

While former Chief Justice of Calcutta High Court J N Patel's name did not have any major opposition, Shastri's name saw strong opposition from Manohar.

Once Patel proposed Shastri's name, Manohar immediately objected as Shastri is a commentator who is in BCCI's payroll. Former president and legal expert Manohar raised questions about Shastri's inclusion to which Patel informed the floor that the cricketer would resign from all his posts in BCCI but Manohar was not convinced.

He quizzed Patel further on Shastri's inclusion to which a peeved Patel stormed out of the conference room.

But once his anger died down and he was pacified by some of the senior members, he came back and rejoined the proceedings. Patel, who is a member of the Srinivasan faction justified that a presence of a cricketer is necessary in the panel as the some of the matters will need technical expertise.

Image: Ravi Shastri

Photograph: BCCI